Handful of states draft BEAD Five-Year Action Plans

A handful of states have drafted Five-Year Action Plans required under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program – part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The Action Plans due this year must include “a comprehensive, high-level plan for providing reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service throughout the (state) including the estimated timeline and cost for universal service.”

Montana estimates universal service between 2026 and 2029, cautioning several factors could delay universal service including a labor gap, supply chain issues and industry participation. “In keeping with the BEAD NOFO, Montana has analyzed the estimated amount of subsidy needed to serve all unserved and upgrade all underserved in Montana with fiber,” the plan states. It notes the state is not anticipated to have sufficient funding to connect all unserved and underserved locations with fiber but does not address how the funding shortfall will be bridged. The state estimates it would need an estimated subsidy allocation of $628-754M to serve all unserved locations. Montana was awarded $629M in BEAD funds this week by the NTIA.

Utah “will ultimately make broadband adoption universal for all Utahns by December 31, 2028, based on the expected funding amounts from the BEAD program as well as an assumption that the other funding programs maintain their historical investment levels in Utah.” The plan calls for fixed wireless or alternative solution to serve 4,000+ locations beyond the extremely high cost per location threshold. No cost estimate for universal service was provided in the Beehive State’s plan.

“Barring significant variation between actual deployment costs and initial estimates, Ohio is therefore estimated to reach universal service by the conclusion of BEAD in 2030, according to the Buckeye State’s draft plan. “When all funds – both allocated and modeled – for unserved and underserved locations are combined, the estimated deployment cost of reaching universal service in Ohio ranges between ~$1.142 billion and ~$1.612 billion.” The plan estimates the cost of extending fiber connections to all unserved and underserved locations would range from $515 million to $830 million. Ohio was awarded $794 million in BEAD funding by the NTIA.